Page 42 of Ghost Ribbon

I shifted in my seat, trying to ignore how warm my face felt.

“Um… okay. Hello in Italian is ‘Ciao’ or more formally ‘Buongiorno’ if it’s morning,” I started, keeping my eyes on the desk instead of him. “How are you is ‘Come stai?’ for informal, or ‘Come sta?’ if you’re speaking to someone older or more important.”

I waited for him to repeat it or ask a question, but he stayed silent. When I finally glanced up, he was still just… staring. Those piercing eyes were locked on my face like he was memorizing every detail. My heart skipped.

“Are you even listening to me?” I asked softly, a little frustrated but mostly nervous.

“Sure I am,” he replied. “How do you say ‘you are beautiful’?”

The question caught me completely off guard. I opened my mouth, then closed it again. On instinct, the translation slipped out before I could stop myself. “Sei bellissimo.”

The moment the words left my lips, I realized what I had said. I widened my eyes.

“You think so?” He leaned forward a little. “Grazie. You’re beautiful too.”

My brain short-circuited. “Th-that… I was just translating!” I stuttered, my face burning even hotter. I hugged my backpack tighter to my chest like it could hide me. “I didn’t mean…. I wasn’t saying…It’s just what the words mean!”

Alexei tilted his head, studying me with mock innocence. “So you think I’m ugly?”

“That isn’t what I said!” I protested, my voice pitching higher in embarrassment. I shook my head quickly, curls bouncing. “I wasn’t calling you anything. I was just… explaining the phrase. That’s all.”

“So you do think I’m beautiful.”

“I….That isn’t…. You’re twisting my words again!” I exclaimed softly, throwing my hands up in defeat. “You’re not learning anything.”

“I’m learning plenty. For example, I now know how to tell my little star he is beautiful. That seems very useful.”

I dropped my forehead onto the desk for a second, hiding my burning face.

“Teach me more. How do I say ‘I can’t stop thinking about you’?”

“That isn’t basic Italian.”

“Still useful.”

I sighed, knowing I wasn’t going to win this battle. “Non riesco a smettere di pensare a te.”

Alexei repeated it perfectly, his accent surprisingly good for someone who had just started. “Non riesco a smettere di pensare a te.” His eyes darkened. “Good. Now say it back to me.”

“I’m not saying that,” I muttered, looking anywhere but at him.

“Why not?” He leaned forward again, resting his chin on his hand. “Are you afraid it might be true?”

My heart stuttered. “No. It isn’t true. I don’t think about you at all.”

“Your face gives you away every time, Malyshka. Now… how do I say ‘I want to kiss you right now’?”

I squeaked and sat up straighter, gripping the edge of the desk. “Alexei!”

I covered my face with my hands again. “This was a terrible idea. I should never have agreed to this.”

“But you did,” he reminded me, “and I’m a very dedicated student. So teach me, Marco. How do I tell you I want to kiss you?”

My voice came out tiny. “Voglio baciarti… adesso.”

Alexei’s eyes flashed with something dark and pleased. He repeated the words slowly, making them sound far too intimate. “Voglio baciarti adesso.”

I didn’t know whether to run, hide under the desk, or melt into the floor. All I knew was that my face was on fire, my heart was racing, and that this “lesson” was going to be the death of me.